Category: Difficult Formwork

Chinese Elders Mansion – Edmonton, AB

Posted on by tundrafoundations
Completed concrete wall at Chinese Elders Mansion located in downtown Edmonton.
Decorative Concrete Wall

I have always been extremely happy with our work on the Chinese Elders Mansion, a project we completed in 2022 for Stanley Construction, but I never was able to take pictures of the completed work until this summer!

This formwork and finishing profile on this project was challenging for several reasons:

  • The shape had to match existing concrete as seamlessly as possible.
  • Form ties were restricted to areas of the profile that were to be painted (rather than sand-blasted).
  • Extreme care was needed to shape the top profile in the wet concrete.

Seeing the project 100% complete for the first time recently, I thought it was worth sharing!

 

New concrete to match existing profile
Tundra’s scope is complete, ready for next trade.
Detailed formwork was necessary to construct the required profile.
Fresh concrete showing the cap profile.

 

Shoppers Drug Mart – Gateway Blvd

Posted on by tundrafoundations

Shoppers Drug Mart – Gateway Blvd

Tundra recently completed the foundation for this new Shoppers Drug Mart going up on Gateway Blvd in Edmonton. This was a fun job for us, and our first for Fillmore Construction, who we hope to work with again! We love pic #3: it showcases the difference in formwork quality between the loading dock grade beam (not exposed to view) and the ramp wall (will be visible).

 

Exposed Concrete Formwork

Posted on by tundrafoundations

Exposed Concrete Formwork

Our carpenters love to create formwork for structural concrete that’s meant to be seen by the public eye. They take great care in ensuring tight seams, precise corners and bevels, and perfectly aligned tie holes. The stability of the formwork is crucial, especially when it needs to withstand the immense pressure exerted by thousands of pounds of concrete.

The provided images showcase two recent projects: wheelchair ramp walls at St. Mary’s School in Fort Vermilion (with Jen-Col Construction Ltd.) and loading dock walls at FCL’s Lumber Distribution Hub in Fort Saskatchewan (with Pemco Construction Ltd.).

 

FCL/Co-op Lumber Distribution Hub

Posted on by tundrafoundations

 

FCL/Co-op Lumber Distribution Hub is out of the ground!

 

 

 

We love hearing how easy it is to build on our foundations! Tundra completed the grade beam for the new FCL/Co-op Lumber Distribution Hub in Fort Saskatchewan, AB with 100% accuracy on our anchor bolts. The steel erecting crew was able to place the building with zero problems!

For anyone who doesn’t know structural concrete, these high-strength anchor bolts cast into the concrete play a vital role: they transfer the loads from the steel column to the foundation. Their location needs to be extremely accurate, typically within 3 or 6mm!

We’re proud that we got it done in the middle of winter, with temperatures dropping as low as -25C. We were able to maintain our schedule despite the extra time needed to heat the formwork, rebar, and concrete while it cured.

Thanks to our client, Pemco Construction Ltd. and site superintendent Jordan Woods – you were great to work with! Looking forward to the next one!

Station Park

Posted on by tundrafoundations

Station Park - Elevator Shaft Complete

Station Park

Station Park is an exciting new project: Edmonton’s (first) retail and food & beverage shipping container park! Located on the corner of Whyte Ave and Gateway Blvd, Tundra completed all the formwork required for this building.

The elevator shaft is the interesting part of this project: Using the Gates Cam-Lock system, we were able to complete the entire 3-story shaft in 3 weeks! The result is a high-quality concrete structure.

Visit stationparkyeg.com for more info about the development.

 

 

CN Walker Rail Yard

Posted on by tundrafoundations

CN Walker Rail Yard

Fueling Platform & Tank Ring Foundation

Tundra was contacted in late November to help Phoenix Petroleum with their upgrades to the CN Walker Rail Yard just north of the Yellowhead Freeway in Edmonton.

The fueling platform featured a custom structural landing adjacent to precast rail panels. The landing also incorporated an integrated curb, poured with the broom-finish landing.

The tank foundation is a large concrete ring sitting on compacted ground. Our crew had a lot of fun doing this one –our only regret is that most of the beautiful concrete will be buried!

 

103 Street Stairs

Posted on by tundrafoundations

Feature Entrance Steps

Tundra was contacted by Rucon Contracting to help with formwork for this feature set of stairs along 103 Street just north of Jasper Avenue. We’re proud of the results!

 

Tundra handled the formwork, Rucon the placing and finishing.

67′ long x 5 risers, monolithic pour to avoid seams or alignment issues.

Light sandblast finish, heavy sandblast inlay on treads.

Another challenging formwork project is completed successfully by Tundra!

 

Manchester Square – Incredible Detail

Posted on by rochelle

circular concrete fountain

Complicated, crenelated grade beams!

We have completed our last project as Jutras Construction, and have helped to bring about the soon-to-be beautiful Manchester Square building located on 107 ave in Edmonton. The amount of detail in the concrete work is incredible, and we nailed it!!!

The intricate grade beams that support the building were designed not just for structural steel, but also to carry the detailed brick facade on an aesthetic exposed concrete base. Without question, these were the most detailed grade beams we have ever seen.

The final piece is a large circular fountain on a sloped base. (Most fountain bases will drain towards a central point: This one slopes 3 1/2″ towards a side drain. –Try standing a vertical circle on a slope.)

This is some of the highest-quality concrete formwork you will see in and around Edmonton. We are very proud of the job we have done. A big thank you to Garth at Apex Contracting for making this possible. 

 

60′-Wide “Wow” Staircase

Posted on by tundrafoundations

Mui Kwok Temple

Feature concrete staircase spans the entire building

The new Mui Kwok Temple in Edmonton is an impressive building, and features an amazing cast-in-place front staircase that is over 60′ long and 14 risers high! We completed our last pour in November when the structure was under tarps, but recently had opportunity to take some pictures.

Most formwork contractors can pour a few stair risers, but only a few can do this staircase. The formwork was constructed with precision to align the stair risers perfectly across the entire run –no scalloping, no deflection and no unsightly pour joins.

Staircase formwork showing multiple suspended stringers and flared radius sides.

Did we have any issues? Of course! The hardest problem to deal with was rebar coverage at the “throat” in one corner of the stairs where the underlying slope wasn’t as expected. Another decision made early on was not to construct the risers for removal during the pour, which meant minor touch-ups after strip-out and (possible) sacking to fill voids/air bubbles. Overall, however, the project was a resounding success!

We’re extremely proud of this one! A special thanks to our superintendent Darrel @ K-Rite Construction and to our finishers at Axiom Concrete for making this possible.